Antonov An-70 (MAKS 2003)

The Antonov An-70 is a next-generation four-engine medium-distance transport aircraft, and the first large aircraft to be powered by propfan engines. Developed by the Antonov design bureau to replace the obsolete An-12 military transport, work on the An-70 began in the early 1990s.Maiden flight of the first prototype took place on December 16, 1994 in Kiev, Ukraine.Russia and Ukraine had as of 2002 agreed on a 50-50 risk-sharing deal on production. Particularly, there were plans to establish serial production of the model in both Kiev and Samara, Russia, guaranteeing employment of about 80,000 people in two countries. The Russian government had shown interest in purchasing 160 planes for its military.The first prototype was lost in 1995 in a mid-air collision with an Antonov 72 chase aircraft. The second prototype suffered damage in a 2001 emergency landing during cold weather testing in Russia, but was repaired. Soon after the first crash, Russian authorities started to question the An-70's abilities and demanded further development.In May 2005, senior officials of Russian Air Force claimed that bilateral development and further testing of the plane continue, though inside sources (Piort Butowski) reported that the An-70 was rapidly losing ground to the upgraded IL-76MF, with the Tu-330 and IL-214 coming up strongly on the outside. In November 2005, Ukraine's Defence Ministry announced plans to buy five AN-70s for the Ukrainian Air Force. In December 2005, Antonov maintained that production of the aircraft remains a priority.In April 2006, Russia announced its complete withdrawal from the project. The head of the Russian Air Force, Vladimir Mikhailov, claimed that the An-70 has grown into a heavy, expensive cargo plane. The military plans to use the Ilyushin Il-76MF, which reportedly costs half as much as the An-70. After the Orange Revolution in late 2004, and with Ukraine openly aiming for NATO membership, political will for the project evaporated. Russia has provided around 60 per cent of the estimated USD 5 billion invested in the project to date.Fully fly-by-wire, the An-70 features a glass cockpit and uses composite materials throughout. It is powered by four Progress D-27 Propfans, each turning a pair of contra-rotating Scimitar propeller propfans, and reaches 90% efficiency (claimed) in cruise at jet speeds.

Channel: Autos & Vehicles
Uploaded: December 31, 1969 at 6:59 pm
Author: zeoul001

Length: 02:30
Rating: 3.90
Views: 122414

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